Queer Book Review: “Me And My #HigherSelf” Will Help You Break Your Addiction To Fear

There are some people who were simply born to create in this world. Bunny Michael is one of them. Michael is an artist in many senses of the word — they’re a singer, performer, healer, and to top it off — a meme creator! You’ve probably seen some of Michael’s inspirational memes floating around the internet using the hashtag #MeAndMyHigherSelf.

Michael recently turned over 100 of their conceptual and artistic memes into an IRL book that provides readers with affirmations, guidance in self-love, empowerment, candid truths, and wisdom. And honestly, they couldn’t have released this book at a better time. 2017 was a rough year for so many of us — as we continue to fight the good fight, deal with mental illness, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and the prevalence of sexual violence — some extra love and motivation is just what we all need as we enter a New Year.

As I was riding home on the train last night, I decided to open up my brand new copy of “Me And My #HigherSelf.” And of course, I flipped right to a page that I didn’t even know I needed until I read the content: “Me: I’m afraid of the future. Higher Self: The future doesn’t exist — only the present moment does. So really you are afraid of this moment and you don’t have to be. In fact, you’re addicted to being afraid. And I don’t want you to have to live like this anymore.” A quiet tear rolled down my cheek as I realized how much I needed that affirmation and reminder. There’s no need to be afraid of the present moment and it’s my addiction to fear that’s really getting the best of me.

While connecting to one’s “higher self” might seem like an arduous task to so many of us who are wrapped up in the day to day stress of life — Michael reminds us that it is right there within our grasp. The connection to spirituality, to nature, to our Universal truths, is something that every single one of us can access. There is no passcode, no hidden secret or message. On every one of Michael’s memes, there is the common thread that your higher self is you. All we have to do is listen.

Most meme accounts on Instagram are filled with funny, sometimes mean, and mostly self-deprecating messages.“The ironic thing is that those ‘self-deprecating’ memes are such a necessary step I believe in the awareness of our thinking. They inspired me because I could totally relate,” Michael tells GO. “I was personally going through a really tough time when I began writing the higher self-memes and there was just some instinctive notion I had to talk about it. I was guided through meditation and prayer — and I had a great realization that my happiness was inherently tied to the giving back. I found compassion for myself by sharing compassion with other people.”

Michael is a constant inspiration for how love can be transformational. Love isn’t always rainbows and butterflies– Michael’s work focuses on the fact that love can challenge your world-views, love means being vulnerable, love is moving into those hard growth edges. With this kind of love, we can create real and tangible change in the world.

“The Higher Self is your natural wisdom of love and compassion. We are born full of love — we are taught fear and judgement. We are conditioned to put fear ahead of love by generations of cyclical brainwashing. We are told that we must earn our worth, that we are sinners, that we must fear each other,” Michael explains to GO. “But we are also very capable of unlearning that conditioning and awakening to joy and peace both in our personal lives and in our collective society.”